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| Christmas Tree - Skenderbej Square - Tirana, Albania |
For those who don't know, most Orthodox Christian nations celebrate Christmas on January 7th, but, with joy and what surprise when I opened up my calendar to find Bulgaria's Christmas on December 25th. My pre-winter break festivities included attending Galabovo's finest Christmas concert with small children singing Mariah Carey's classics and 'Vesela Koleda!' or 'Merry Christmas!' ringing throughout town. Of course, the lights were hung on the trees with care in hopes that 'Diado Koleda' or 'Father Christmas' would soon be there. Lucky for me, my lovely mentor teacher, Darina, knitted me a fine green scarf (pics coming soon) so it was a holly, jolly time. Aside from forcing my students to sing along with me to 'I want a hippopotamus for Christmas' in class *evil laughter* and attending Fulbright's Christmas party in Sofia, my holiday was spent abroad!
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| Small children dancing, 'Horo' Bulgaria's national dance |
Macedonia:
My journey began in Skopje, the capital of Macedonia, where I spent 2 days perusing the old bazaar, questioning historical statements in the Museum of the Macedonian Struggle, being told I speak excellent 'Makedonski' (Bulgarian and Macedonian are mutually intelligible), and ranking my favorite statues (Macedonia has an alarming amount of statues). The views from the old fortress were most pleasant, but I can't wait to see other parts of the country at some point and time!
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| Old Fortress |
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| Old town Skopje |
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| SO MANY STATUES |
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| City Center |
Kosovo:
I literally spent 24 hours here (and stayed overnight), and I thought my time was most sufficient. I started my journey off early in the AM to Prishtina, the capital, where I spent a mere 2 hours and walked around. As anticipated, the museums were closed on a Sunday so the bulk of my time was spent gawking at the unusual architecture, the Bill Clinton statue, and the NATO themed decor. After, I hoped off the bus at Pr-iz-ren with a dream and a cardigan . . . (please laugh), and I savored the afternoon/evening in Kosovo's most beautiful city. Prizren is particular picturesque with the fortress above the old bazaar and the snow-capped mountains in the distance. Being Christmas eve, I had the pleasure of playing 'Christmas Song' pictionary and charades with Peace Corps Kosovo. I'd like to see you draw 'Winter Wonderland' in under a minute!
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| As seen in Pristina |
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| Bill Clinton statue (bottom) with portrait above! |
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| Prizren Castle and old city |
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| Looking away from the castle |
Albania:
I LOVED ALBANIA! I was touristing here for about 3 days, and I had the pleasure of first visiting Kruja, a small mountain town north of Tirana, which had a beautiful fortress/old city christening the hills (I kinda like castles fyi). Tirana was equally as interesting with Bunkart, Enver Hodja's--Albania's former Communist leader--underground enclave turned into a history museum. I had the pleasure (?) of experiencing a chemical attack reenactment and an escape into Greece through gunfire and barbed wire! Needless to say, Bunkart is a serious sensory thrill. Of course, it wouldn't have been a real gem without going to the national museum and visiting an Albanian prison cell *shrugs shoulders*. Lira, a friend of a friend turned tour guide, tourist, and new bestie, and I finally relaxed in the Christmas market with a much needed cup of mulled wine after that emotional roller coaster. Despite the excitement, I found Albania to be a most interesting place!
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| Skenderbej (Albanian national hero) Museum in Kruja castle |
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| Bunkart exhibit featuring the dangers of a chemical attack |
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| Pics of thousands of bunkers across Albania |
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| The Pyramid - Enver Hodja's meeting place |
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| Lira and I! Christmas market - Skenderbej Square - Tirana |
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| National Museum - Tirana |
Turkey:
The burning question: How did Keegan get into Turkey despite the visa? Buckle up, buttercup, because it's a long story. A few weeks ago, I messaged Turkey's Ministry of Foreign Affairs inquiring how to acquire a visa as an American. They let me know that I needed a residency permit in a country that isn't the US to actually enter. I asked if my registration card and work visa in Bulgaria would be proof; they said this was sufficient. That email correspondence was my golden ticket. Fast forward to Tirana's Albania airport. It's 3 AM and I'm slightly drowsy, and a little disjointed after attempting to speak Italian to the taxi driver (I don't speak Italian but most Albanians above 55 assumed I did). I go to the check-in counter with my email in hand and explain the situation. What I was hoping would be a 2 min interaction nearly lasted an hour. The lovely lady working the front desk had to call Sabiha Gokcen airport in Istanbul to see if they would accept me and, furthermore, she had to ask her supervisor if I could board the plane. With 20 mins before take off, I was given the all-clear and I hustled through security! Now, I'm in istanbul's Sabiha Gokcen airport and it's judgement day! I go to the visa desk and 1 of the airport staff intercept me and tell me I should go to passport control. While in line for passport control, I have this feeling I should go to the visa booth because I actually don't have a visa, right? So I go back, and homeboy is playing defense! He intercepts me again and then talks to some other official who tells me I can't enter! I nod, wait for them to leave, and, slide into the passport control. After all, these are airport staff and NOT border control officers. After a nervous hour to check in, i'm greeted by the wide-eyed young woman at passport control who immediately calls her supervisor. In the meantime, I'm speaking my *finest* Turkish and just being cool as a cucumber. The hulking 1000 foot/meter supervisor weighing no less than 3000 pounds/kilos escorts me to his office/interrogation room to discuss my situation. Again, i'm saying my niceties in Turkish and he just keeps nodding. Every few minutes, he'd ask a question, "Do you understand the political situation?" or "What is your purpose here?" As the questioning goes on, his fellow officer friends join and we're chatting up and things become a little less tense. After a half an hour, he looks at me and says something along the lines of. "I shouldn't accept your paperwork, but you know Turkish and this country, and it would be a shame to keep you out of Turkey." He nods to his colleague who escorts me to the visa booth, gives me a visa stamp, and sends me to passport control. There, I meet the same young woman who blurts out, "Ne soyledin??!?" which translates as ,"What did you say?" She calls her supervisor again, but this time, she shrugs her shoulders, stamps my passport, and I'm in. I did have a nervous encounter after passing through baggage claim because the police stopped me and asked for identification, but it was a random check. I spent the rest of the day savoring lahmacun, and visiting my favorite sites. My takeaway message: I would NOT recommend visiting until the visa ban is up or you receive a visa at a consulate. I was very fortunate with my circumstances, and, had I not had my boarding pass for Tbilisi the same day, my situation could be a bit different!
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| Galata Tower in the back! |
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| Market Stall |
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| Lahmacun! |
Georgia:
Onwards to Georgia, I surprised my lovely host brother, Givi, for his 17th birthday and enjoyed New Year's there! I forgot how much I loved that country, (and Bebia's Khacapuri!). It was a short, but wholesome trip. I flew back to Turkey January 1st, and took the bus back to Bulgaria!
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| Georgia with the host fam! |
This site FulbrightBlogaria.blogspot.com is not an official Fulbright Program site. The views expressed on this site are entirely those of Keegan Scott and do not represent the views of the Fulbright Program, the U.S. Department of State or any of its partner organizations.
